Departure is also a return

     Where is home in this world? Departure is also a return. Departure is a journey, and return is a journey home. Only the departing heart still yearns for the future, still anticipates the return journey. Returning laden with a bounty is the traveler's pursuit, whether spiritual or material. Because everyone's purpose is different, their destinations differ, their feelings differ, and their paths home differ as well.

    With hearts yearning for knowledge, exploration, and acquisition, we set off. Whether the journey is near or far, whether it's for someone else's instructions or entrustment, for the quest deep within our souls, or for something urgent, we embark on our journeys with our own purposes. There are joyful farewells and sorrowful departures. Thus, some are sullen on their journeys, some are content, and some appreciate the scenery along the way. They travel from city to countryside, or from countryside to city. Their noise, their passing by, their comings and goings, adorn this originally peaceful world. Whether in the vast deserts, grasslands, and snow-covered north, or the quaint bridges and flowing waters of the south, they are like ants rushing to a market, yet not as monotonous, perhaps because of their so-called differences. This is perhaps the difference between humans and animals.
    For life, it is merely a process. Before life, everything is murky; after life, everything seems clear, but in reality, it is also murky. Life merely survives by using the body as a vessel; we are merely observing the scenery along our own journey as our bodies decay from tenderness to decay. At the two ends of life, perhaps they are different, perhaps they are the same; the living do not know, nor do the dead. Faced with the unknown of the living and the dead, perhaps the coming and going are interconnected and the same (of course, this logic of mine cannot withstand scrutiny, but I am merely stating a feeling in my heart).
    Heaven and earth coexist, heaven and earth are interconnected; what we are familiar with is merely a fragment of memory left behind. And for the vast land, our pause is but a fleeting moment. While we remain confined to our own little world, what we see is merely a fleeting glimpse of nature. Much has already faded with time, becoming a sealed memory. These memories must be validated through our own vision, our own intellect, or through the legends we hear. As for those things lost due to changes in the landscape, even if we stay close, it's futile. It's like a dandelion; it only becomes familiar with this land within its lifetime. Where it originated, it doesn't know; where its seeds go, it doesn't know; let alone its origins. Perhaps only the fleeting wind can answer its questions. The dandelion is like this, and perhaps humans are no exception.
    To wander and drift, to wander while walking—this is perhaps the essence of existence. Because so much in this world merely serves to highlight our lives. Whether we are greedy or indifferent, when we finish our lives, all we take with us is our fading soul and our decaying body. Perhaps we occupy only a small fraction of the world's possessions while we are alive, but when we die, everything we own will be returned to the world, whether we acquired it from scratch or inherited it from our parents. Our temperament determines our attitude towards life; whether carefree or reserved, we are all on our own journey. Some people, as they move forward, focus only on one point; they may gain something, but they also fall into a kind of unseen trap. Others, as they move forward, simply experience a kind of joy in their leisurely lives. They don't care what lies ahead, they don't care about what they are supposed to be, they just go with the flow and walk their own path. Sometimes
    we live only knowing nobility and lowliness, sometimes we live only knowing that occasional loneliness is also a kind of toil. Sometimes we don't know the difference between near and far, sometimes we don't know the difference between large and small. The so-called large and small, near and far, only exist within our vision and mind, because we can only comprehend Zhuangzi's "Free and Easy Wandering," but cannot experience it firsthand. While we are alive, we should go out and explore. Pack your bags, carry your wisdom, and immerse yourselves in different places. Let a broad vision and a generous heart support you through the storms of life ahead; let your life, when it completes its circle, have few regrets. Whether the future holds verdant mountains and clear waters, or desolate deserts and lonely smoke, as long as our hearts are filled with romance and beauty, that's enough. As the old saying goes, since we've chosen the distant horizon, let's brave the wind and rain! Perhaps our destination is also our starting point, our departure is also a kind of return. Because "heading south while wanting to go north" is no longer just a fable. The earth is round; we may go in opposite directions, but we can still reach our destination. Perhaps we've traveled a longer journey than others, but we arrive at the same destination through different paths. This is not necessarily a bad thing for travelers. Because we are at the starting point of the circle, moving closer to the end along the circular track. Because in this extra journey, we experience more of life's flavors. We've gone far, yet we've also come closer; we've left, yet we've also returned.